Sheet lifter



1940- I E. J. SHAUGHNESSY 2,213,055

SHEET LIFTER Filed May 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q3 R a a m "PSI . 27866725 07 @ardJiazgg/meagx SHEET LIFTER Filed May 13, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug.- 27, 1940 PATENT OFFICE SHEET LIFTER ErardJ. Shaughncssy, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cullen-Friestedt Company,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois 7 Application May 13,masjserial No. 207,682 I 11 Claims. (01. zea -117) I The presentinvention relates generally to lifters' for handling stacks of metallicsheets or like articles. More particularly the invention relates to thattype of sheet lifter which is adapted to be hoisted and moved from placeto place by a crane or overhead hoist and as the' main or-principalparts thereof comprises the following: an elongated supporting elementwhich is adapted nor-- mally to extend horizontally and has anupstandwith inwardly extending means for underlying and supporting theside margins of the sheets; and gear mechanism which is associated with,

25 and carried by, the supporting element and operates in response toactuation thereof conjointly to shift the jaws to or from one another.One object of the invention'is to provide" a lifter of this type whichis an improvement upon,

30 and has certain advantages over, previously designed lifters of thesame general character and in addition has greater capabilities of useand'is more efficient in operation.

Another object'of the invention is to provide a 35 sheet lifter of thetype and character under consideration in which the lower'members of thejaws'are pivotally connected at the upper ends thereof to the lower endsof the upper members so thatthey maybe angularly adjusted with re- 40spect to said upper members and thus properly adapted or adjusted foruse in connection with stacks of sheets which vary in width, and in addition have associated with the upper ends there'- of simple and novelmeans whereby they may be 45 locked or fixed in their various adjustedpositions.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet lifter of thelast mentioned character in which the means for locking-or fixingthelower 50 members of the jaws in their various angular positionswith-respect to the upper members of the jaws comprises notchedsector-shaped elements at the upper ends of the lower jaw members andhorizontally extending longitudinally t5 slidable notched bars which arecarried by the ing loop on the central portionv thereof whereby upperjaw members and are adapted when slid or shifted in'one direction tohave the notches thereof register with the'sector-like elements and thuspermit the lower jaw members to swing laterally for adjustment purposesand when shifted in the opposite direction to interlock with theadjacent notches. of said elements and thus lock the lower jaw membersin place, that is, in fixed relation with the upper jaw members.

A further object of the invention is. to provide a sheet lifter of thehereinbefore specified type which includesmeans whereby when the lifteris placed on the ground or the subjacent floor in connection withnon-use or storage thereof the gear mechanism is automatically lockedagainst actuation and the jaws are thus precluded from spreading orswinging apart in response to the weight of the supporting element andgear mechanism and injuring or damaging any person or object in theimmediate vicinity of the'lifter.

'A still further object of the invention is to provide a sheet lifterwhich is generally of new and. improved construction and not only may bemanufactured at a low and reasonable cost but also effectively andefficiently fulfills its intended purpose. o

-.Other objects of the invention and the various advantages andcharacteristics of the present lifter will be apparent from aconsideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in, the several novel features which arehereinafter set forth and are more particularly. defined byv claims atlthe conclusion hereof. o

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification ordisclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote correspondingparts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sheet lifter embodying the invention,parts being broken 40 away and shown in section in order to illustratein detail the construction and design of the mechanism. forautomatically locking the gear mechanism against actuation when thelifter is dropped or placed on the subjacent ground or floor inconnection with disengagement of the crane or hoist hook from the loopon the central portion of the elongated supporting element; Figure 2 isa transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 and furtherillustrating the construction and arrangement of the mechanism forlocking the jaws against separation or spreading when the lifter is notin use;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the arrangement anddesign of the front iii end of the longitudinally slidable notched barof the locking means for one of the jaws, and illustrating in detail thearrangement and construction of the releasable latch which is associatedtherewith and serves releasably to hold such bar against longitudinalshift or sliding movement;

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the parts whichare illustrated in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the lifter taken online 5-5 of Figure 1 and showing the jaws swung together and the lowerjaw members adjusted or set for handling narrow or small sheets; and

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view showing the jaws of thelifter swung apart and the lower jaw members set or adjusted withrespect to the upper jaw members so that they are capable of handlingcomparatively wide sheets.

The lifter which is shown in the drawings constitutes the preferredembodiment of the invention. It is adapted in connection with a crane oroverhead hoist having a hook at its operating end to lift or move fromone place to another a stack of metallic sheets or like articles, andcomprises an elongated supporting element 7, a pair of opposedhorizontally elongated complemental jaws 8 and 9, and gear mechanism ll]for conjointly shifting the jaws to and from one another.

The supporting element 1 is adapted normally to extend horizontally. Itcarries the jaws 8 and 9 and the gear mechanism In and is in the form ofan I-beam. As shown in the drawings, the supporting element carries thejaws in a depending manner and comprises a vertical web H, ahorizontally extending top flange l2, and a horizontally extendingbottom flange [3. On its central portion the element F has an upstandingloop I 4 for the hook at the operating end of the crane or hoist withwhich the lifter is used. This loop embodies a pair of depending legs15, the lower ends of which extend through holes in the top flange I2 ofthe element 1 and are arranged in straddled relation with the web H ofthe element and so that the bottom faces or extremities thereof restupon the bottom flange l3. The portions of the legs I 5 which aredisposed between the top and bottom flanges of the supporting element,that is, the lower ends of the legs are welded or otherwise fixedlysecured to the web I! so that the hook is permanently attached orconnected to the element '1.

The opposed horizontally elongated complemental jaws 8 and 9 areadapted, as hereinafter described, to be shifted to and from one anotherin response to actuation or operation of the gear mechanism [9. Theyextend lengthwise of the supporting element '1 and comprise uppermembers l6, lower members l1, and horizontally extending angle iron bars18. The upper members l6 have inturned or inwardly extending upper endsand each comprises a pair of laterally spaced plate metal pieces IS. Theupper ends of the upper members N3 of the jaws are pivotally connectedby way of pivot pins 29 to laterally extending pivot lugs 2| on thesupporting element 7. Preferably the upper members of the jaw 8 aretransversely aligned with the upper members of the jaw 9. The pivot lugs2| fit between and are welded to the top and bottom flanges of theelement 1 and project into the spaces between the upper ends of thepairs of pieces 19 which form or constitute the upper jaw members H5.The pins 20 extend through aligned holes in the pivot lugs and the upperends of the pieces l9 and together with the lugs so pivotally supportthe jaws 8 and 9 that the latter are free to swing to and from oneanother into and out of a gripping relation with a stack of sheets. Thelower members I! of the jaws extend substantially vertically and carryat their lower ends the horizontally extending angle bars l8. The upperends of the members IT project into the spaces between the lower ends ofthe pairs of pieces I9 and are pivotally supported by pins 22 in suchmanner that the lower jaw members may be swung in different angularpositions with respect to the upper members in order to adapt the lifterfor use in connection with stacks of wide sheets as well as smallsheets. The pins 22 project through aligned holes in the upper ends ofthe jaw members I1 and the lower extremities of the pieces I9 and aresuitably retained against axial displacement. The angle iron bars l8consist of substantially vertical legs 23 and substantially horizontallegs 24. The vertical legs are welded or otherwise fixedly secured tothe inner faces of the lower ends of the lower jaw members I! and areadapted when the jaws are shifted towards one another, as hereinafterdescribed, into hoisting relation with a stack of sheets, to abutagainst the side edges of the lowermost sheets. The horizontal legs 24are formed integrally with, and project inwardly from, the bottommargins of the legs 23 and are adapted to underlie the side margins ofthe sheets, as shown in Figure 6. The upper ends of the lower jawmembers I? are provided with integral sector shaped elements 25, asshown in Figures 5 and 6. These elements are positioned above the pivotpins 22 and fit within the spaces between the lower ends of the pairs ofpieces l9. They have arcuate series of notches 26 in the top portionsthereof and coact with a pair of horizontally extending bars 21 to formmeans for holding the lower members I! of the jaws 8 and 9 in theirvarious adjusted positions with respect to the upper members IS. Thebars 2'! are associated with the two jaws, respectively, and arepositioned above the pivot pins 22 and directly over the sector-shapedelements 25. They are mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in slots28 in the central portions of the pieces I9 which form the upper jawmembers I6 and have notches 29 in the bottom portions thereof. arenormally located behind the elements 25 and are adapted when the bars2'! are shifted forwards, that is, towards the front of the lifter(right hand end of lifter as viewed in Figure l) to be brought intoregistry with the top portions of the elements 25 and release suchelements as far as the bars are concerned so that the lower members I!of the jaws are free to be swung laterally into different angularpositions relatively to the upper members l6 of the jaws. The portionsof the bars 2'! which are directly in front of the slots 28 constitutelocking dogs 30. The latter are adapted when the locking bars 21 areslid rearwards after proper adjustment of the lower members I! withrespect to the upper members to fit within the adjacent notches 2B ofthe sector shaped elements 25 and thus to lock said elements and thelower members I! of the jaws in fixed or set relation with respect tothe upper members [6. As a result of the arrangement and location of thenotches 29 and the dogs 30 the lower members I! of the jaws may bereleased for angular adjustment with the upper members merely byshifting the bars 21 forwards and locked in their adjusted position byshifting Said notches 29 I the bars 21 rearwards. The elements 25 are ofsuch size and have a sufficient number of notches 26 that said lowermembers I! are capable of being properly adjusted to adapt the lifterfor use in connection with sheets of all sizes within the range ofswinging movement of the two jaws 8 and 9. Longitudinal shift or slidingmovement of the two bars 21 is effected by means of a pair of levers 3|.These levers, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, are located at the front endof the lifter and are disposed adjacent to, and in parallel relationwith, the lower ends of the upper members It at the front end of thesupporting element '5. The lower ends of the levers are bifurcated. Theyare arranged in straddled relation with the front ends of the bars 27and are pivotally connected by pins 32 at their bottom or lowerextremities to lugs 33. Such lugs are welded or otherwise fixedlyconnected to the lower ends of the front most pieces I9 and carry thepins 32 in such manner that the levers 3| are adapted to swing back andforth longitudinally of the lifter. The upper ends of the levers arebent forwardly and then upwards and form handles 34. The portions of thelevers which straddle the front ends of the bars 21 have verticallyextending slots 35 through which extend transversely extending pins 36.The pins serve to connect the bars to the levers so that the bars areshifted forwards in response to forward swing of the levers andrearwards in response to rearward swing of such levers. The slots 35 arevertically elongated so as to permit of relatively vertical movement ofthe pins and the adjacent portions of the levers during swinging of thelatter. The rear ends of the bars are provided with enlargements orheads 31 which serve to limit forward movement of the bars. These headsare adapted when the bars are shifted forwards so as to bring the slots29 into registry with the sector shaped elements 25 to abut against therearmost pieces l9 and prevent or preclude further forward movement ofthe bars. In order to lock the bars against accidental or undesireddisplacement when they are in their locked position, that is, when thedogs 39 are in interlocked relation with the adjacent notches 26 in theelements 25 vertically slidable latches 38 are provided. Thesd latchesare disposed directly above the front ends of the bars 21 and areassociated with a pair of brackets 39. The latter are welded to thelower ends of the inner or rear pieces IQ of the front most upper jawmembers It and have vertically spaced horizontally extending headequipped pins 49 which extend through slots 4| in the latches 38 andform suitable mountings whereby the latches are permitted to slidevertically. The lower ends of the latches areshaped to form teeth 42 andthese teeth are adapted when the bars 21 are shifted rearwards intotheir locking position to fit within V-shaped cut-outs 53 in the topportions of the front ends of the bars. Compression springs 44 areapplied to laterally extending lugs 45 on the upper ends of the latchesin such manner that they serve to urge the latchin a pair of lugs 48which are spaced above the brackets 39, and as shown in Figure 4, arewelded to the rearmost pieces IQ of the upper members It at the front ofthe lifter. At their rear ends the lugs 48 are provided with a pair oflaterally extending fingers 49. As shown in Figure 3, these fingersoverlie the laterally extending lugs 45, and are adapted to be grippedin connection with lift or raising of the latches. When it is desired toadjust the lower members ll of the jaws relatively to the upper members,the latches 38 are first released by raising them a sufficient distanceto disengage the teeth 42 from the cut-outs 43 in the bars. After properor sufficient raising of the latches the levers 3| are swung forwardlyuntil they are arrested as the result of abutment of the heads 3iagainst the adjacent jaw member pieces l9. Such swinging effectssufficient forward movement or shift of the bars 21 to bring the notches29 in registry with the notches 26 in the top portions of the sectorshaped element 25, and thus, as hereinbefore described, frees the lowerjaw members so that they may be swung laterally with respect to theupper jaw members. After proper adjustment or swinging of the lower jawmembers the levers 3| are swung rearwards in order to bring the dogs 39into interlocked relation with the adjacent or contiguous notches 26. Assoon as the bars 2'! reach the end of their inward stroke, the latches38, in response to the action of the compression springs 44, snap intothe cut-outs 43 and thus lock the bars in place. The rear side cornersof the dogs are preferably beveled, as shown in Figure 3, so that theycan enter readily the adjacent notches 26 in connection with rearwardshift of the bars 21. The bars 2? constitute or exemplify means wherebythe lower arms of each jaw may be conjointly released and then looked inconnection with angular adjustment thereof with respect to the upper jawmembers.

The gear mechanism H] for conjointly shifting the jaws 8 and 9 to andfrom one another comprises a hand wheel 50, a horizontal shaft 5|, ashaft 52, a gear unit 53, a pinion 54, an internal gear segment 55, ashaft 56, and sets of arms 51' and 58. The shaft 5| extendslongitudinally of the lifter and is located in front of and a slightdistance beneath the elongated supporting element 1. It is journaled inan outer bearing bracket 59 and an inner bearing bracket 60 and has thehand wheel 50 keyed or otherwise fixedly secured to the front endthereof. As shown in Figure 1, the bracket 59 is connected to andextends forwardly from the front or forward end of the element 1 and, asshown in Figure 5, the bracket 6|] is connected to and extendsdownwardly from the front portion of the bottom flange i3 of theelement. The shaft 52 is disposed directly beneath the front end of thesupporting element 1 and has the front end thereof connected by auniversal joint 6| to the rear end of the shaft 5|. The gear unit 53 isconnected by a suitable bracket to, and underlies the central portion ofthe element 1, and embodies a drive shaft 52 and a driven shaft 63. Thedrive shaft is connected to the rear end of the shaft 52 by a universaljoint 54 and operates through the medium of the unit gearing to drivethe driven shaft 63. The latter is disposed under the rear end of theelement 1 and extends horizontally. It is journaled in a bearing bracket55 and carries the pinion 54 at its rear end. The bracket 55 is securedto, and depends from, the rear portion of the bottom flange I3 of theelement l. "..he shaft 55 extends horizontally and is disposed beneaththe supporting element 7. The front end of the shaft 56 is journaled inthe lower end of the bearing bracket 53 and the rear end of said shaftis journaled in the lower end or portion of the bearing bracket 55 andcarries the internal gear segment 55. The latter meshes with and isdriven by the pinion 5 3 and is keyed to the shaft 58 so that the latteris caused to rock or rotate in response to swinging of the segment. Whenthe hand wheel 55 is rotated or turned in one direction, the shafts 5iand 52, the gear unit 53, the pinion E i, and the internal gear segment55 operates to rock or turn the shaft 56 in one direction, and when thehand wheel 50 is turned or rotated in the opposite direction the shaft53 is reversely rocked or turned. The arms 5? are fixed to and radiatefrom the shaft 56 and are transversely aligned with the upper members R6of the jaws. They are connected to the upper members of the jaw 8 by wayor links 65 and ears 6'! and operate in response to rocking or rotationof the shaft 56 in one direction to swing the jaw 5 outwards and inresponse to reverse rotation of the shaft to swing said jaw 8 inwards.The arms 58 are formed integrally with and project radially from theinner ends of the arms 57 and are connected by means of links 88 andears 53 to the upper members or the jaw 9 in such manner that such jawis swung outwards in response to rotation of the shaft 56 in onedirection and is swung inwards in response to reverse rotation of theshaft. The arms and 52: are so arranged and connected to the uppermembers of their respective jaws that the jaws move or swing conjointlyto and from one another in response to turning of the handwheel.

In addition to the supporting element 7, the jaws 8 and 9 and the gearmechanism l8, the lifter comprises means for automatically locking thegear mechanism against actuation or rotation when the lifter is placedon the ground or the subjacent floor in connection with disengagement ofthe crane or hoist hook from the loop I4 on the central portion of theelement Such means is associated with the loop and comprises a pair ofsubstantially horizontal bars 36, a vertically extending link ii, ahorizontally extending lever 72, and a dog $3. The bars i straddle theupper or curved portion of the loop and are pivotally connected at thefront ends thereof to lug I l so that they are free to swing vertically.The rear ends of the bars straddle the upper end of the link H and areconnected to the latter by a pivot pin i5. The lower end of the link llextends through a hole in the top flange 52 of the supporting elementand is disposed adjacent to one face of the web H of the element. Thelever 12 is disposed adjacent to, and extends parallel to, said one faceof the web ii and is pivotally connected at the rear end. thereof sothat it is free to swing vertically. The front end of the lever 72 isconnected by a pivot pin 76 to the lower end of the link it with theresult that the lever T2 is caused to swing upwards in response toupward swinging of the bars iii. The dog '13 is pivotally connected to,and depends from, the central portion of the lever '52 and is adaptedwhen the lever i2 is shifted or swung downwards to coact with a set orseries of external ratchet teeth 'i'! on the gear segment 55 and to locksuch segment together with the other parts of the gear mechanism 53against actuation or rotation in one direction. The bars iii are sodisposed with respect to the upper or curved portion of the loop thatwhen the crane or hoist hook is inserted into the loop and then raisedin connection with hoisting of the lifter they are raised as shown indotted lines in Figure 1. In response to raising of the bars 10 thelever 12 swings upwards and operates to disengage the dog 73 from theratchet teeth 11. As soon as the dog is free from the ratchet teeth thegear segment 55 is released so that the gear mechanism 58 is operativeto swing the jaws 8 and 9 to and from one another. When the lifter islowered onto the subjacent ground or floor in connection with non-use orstorage thereof, the bars 10 swing downwards as soon as the crane orhoist hook becomes disengaged from the loop I 4. As soon as the bars 10swing or drop downwards the lever 72, in turn, swings downwards andcauses the dog 73 to slide or move into interlocked relation with theratchet teeth 11. The dog 13 extends downwardly through, and is slidablymounted in, a hole in the bottom flange I3 of the elongated supportingelement 7. By providing means for automatically locking the gearmechanism it) against actuation when the lifter is placed upon theground the jaws 8 and 9 are automatically locked in place as soon as thecrane or hoist hook becomes disengaged from the loop i l and as a resultthey cannot spread outwards in response to the weight or action of theelement 1 and the gear mechanism I0 and cause injury or damage to anyperson or object in the immediate vicinity of the lifter.

The operation of the lifter is as follows: When it is desired to hoistor move a stack of comparatively narrow sheets the lower members I! ofthe jaws before lowering the lifter into straddled relation with thesheets are so angularly adjusted with respect to the upper jaw member 16that when the jaws are swung towards one another into engagement withthe side margins of the sheets the legs 2 of the angle iron bars 2! aresubstantially horizontally disposed. In connection with adjustment ofthe lower jaw mem ber H the levers 3| by manipulation of the handles Mare swung outwards until arrested by the heads 37 striking against therearmost pieces !9 of the upper jaw members l6 at the rear end of thelifter. As soon as the bars 21 are shifted forwards by manipulation ofthe levers and the lower members I? of the jaws are thus freed suchmembers are swung into the proper angular position with respect to theupper members. Thereafter the levers 3| are swung inwards in order toeffect locking of the lower jaw members by way of the dogs 30 and thenotch equipped sectorshaped elements 25. As soon as the levers 3| areshifted rearwards sufiiciently to bring the bars 2'! into their fulllocking position, the latches 38 snap downwards as hereinbeforedescribed into a position wherein the teeth 42 interlock with thecut-outs Q3 in the upper portions of the bars 21. After properadjustment of the lower members I! of the jaws the lifter is lowered soas to bring the jaws into straddled relation with the side margins ofthe sheets. Thereafter the hand wheel 59 is turned so as to cause thejaws to swing inwardly into a position wherein the vertical legs .23 ofthe angle iron bars abut against the side edges of the lowermost sheetsof the stack and the horizontal legs 24 of the bars underlie the sidemargins of the bottom sheet of the stack. After such manipulation of thehand wheel 50 the lifter together with the stack of sheets is lifted andthen moved to the desired location or place by manipulation of the craneor overhead hoist with which the lifter is associated. As soon as theproper location or space is reached the lifter is lowered and the handwheel is reversely rotated so as to swing apart the jaws 8 and 9. In theevent that it is desired to use the lifter in connection with a stack ofcomparatively wide sheets the lower members I! of the jaws are releasedfrom the upper members by outwardpull of the levers 3| and are swunginwardly to theproper extent. Thereafter the levers are shiftedrearwards in order to lock the lower members of'the jaws in fixed or setrelation with the upper members. Immediately prior to outward or forwardswing of the levers 3| the latches 38 are released by gripping the lugs45 and then raising them against the force of the compression springs44. When it is desired to store the lifter it is swung or shifted to theplace of storage and then lowered onto the subjacent ground or floor. Assoon as the hook of the crane or hoist is out of engagement with theU-shaped upper portion of the loop M the bars 10 swing downwards andthrough the medium of the link H and the lever 12 cause the dog 13 todrop into engagement with the ratchet teeth 11 and effect such lockingof the gear mechanism ID that the jaws 8 and 9 of the lifter cannotswing or spread outwards as the result of the application of weightthereto. When it is again desired to use the lifter the hook of thecrane or hoist is manipulated in hooked relation with the loop l4 andthen the lift-er is raised. As soon as the hook comes into engagementwith and operates to raise the bars 10 the dog 13 is automaticallyraised out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 14 and the gearmechanism 10 is thus freed or unlocked so that it is capable of beingmanipulated by the hand wheel 50 in connection with opening and closingof the jaws.

The herein described sheet lifter is extremely efficient in operation.vIn addition it has a wide range of use in that it is possible to adjustthe lower jaw members relatively to the upper members and thus adapt thelifter for use in connection with narrow sheets as well as wide sheets.The lifter is safe as far as operation is concerned because due to theautomatic locking means for the gear mechanism [0 there is no likelihoodof the jaws 8 and 9 swinging apart and injuring or damaging any personor object in the immediate vicinity of the lifter when the latter isdropped or lowered onto the subjacent ground or floor.

Whereas the lifter has been described as embodying a hand wheel foroperating the gear mechanism l0, it is to be understood that any otherdrive means for the mechanism may be employed such, for example, as achain driven wheel (see Figure 1) or an electric motor. It is also to beunderstood that each jaw may include more than two upper and lowermembers and that the invention is not to be restricted to the specificdetails set forth since they may be modified within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising a pair of oppositely facing complemental jaws mounted to moveto and from one another and embodying a plurality of upper members andin addition a plurality of depending lower members having means at thelower ends thereof for gripping the sheets and connected pivotally atthe upper ends 7 to the upper members so that they may be swunglaterally relatively to the latter into different angular positions inorder to adjust the jaws for use with narrow or wide sheets; meansoperable conjointly to lock the lower members of one jaw in theirvarious adjusted positions with respect to the upper members of said onejaw and also conjointly to release such lower members for adjustingpurposes, including an elongated horizontal element extendinglongitudinally and substantially throughout the full length of said onemeans operable conjointly to lock the lower members of the other jaw intheir various adjusted positions with respect to the upper members ofsaid other jaw and also conjointly to release such lower members foradjusting purposes. including a corresponding elongated horizontalelement extending longitudinally and substantially throughout the fulllength of said other jaw; and means for conjointly shifting the jaws toand from one another.

2. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising a pair of oppositely facing complemental jaws mounted to moveto and from one another and embodying upper members and in additionaligned depending lower members having sheet gripping means at the lowerends thereof and connected pivotally at their upper ends to the uppermembers so that they may be swung laterally relatively to the latterinto different angular positions in order to adjust the jaws for usewith narrow or wide sheets, means for releasably locking the lowermembers of the jaws in their various adjusted positions with respect tosaid upper members including notched elements at the upper ends of thelower members and dog equipped bars extending longitudinally of the jawsand carried by the upper members so that they are longitudinallyshiftable to bring the dogs thereof into interlocked relation with thenotches of the said elements, and means for conjointly shifting the jawstoand from oneanother.

3. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising a pair of oppositely facing complemental jaws mounted to moveto and from one another and embodying upper members and in additionaligned depending lower members having means at the lower ends thereoffor gripping the side margins of the sheets and connected pivotally attheir upper ends to the upper members so that they may be swunglaterally relatively to the latter into different angular positions inorder to adjust the jaws for use with narrow or wide sheets, means forreleasably locking the lower members of the jaws in their variousadjusted positions with respect to said upper members including notchedelements at the upper ends of the lower members, dog equipped barsextending longitudinally of the jaws and carried by the upper members sothat they are longitudinally slidable into and out of an operativeposition wherein the dogs thereof are interlocked with certain of thenotches of said elements and latches for holding the bars in theiroperative position, and means for conjointly shifting the jaws to andfrom one another. 7

4. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising a pair of oppositely facing horizontally elongatedcomplemental jaws pivotally suspended .to swing to and from one anotherand embodying upper members and in addition aligned depending lowermembers having inwardly extending means at the lower ends thereof forunderlying the side margins of the sheets and connected pivotally attheir upper ends to the members so that they may be swung laterallyrelatively to the latter into diiferent angular positions in order toadjust the jaws for use in connection with narrow or wide sheets, meansfor releasably locking the lower members of the jaws in their variousadjusted positions with respect to said upper members includingsector-like elements connected fixedly to and extending upwardly fromthe upper ends of the lower members and having series of notches in thetop portions thereof, dog equipped bars extending longitudinally of thejaws and carried by the upper jaw members so that they arelongitudinally slidable into and out of an operative position whereinthe dogs thereof are interlocked with certain of the notches and handleequipped levers pivotally at tached to certain of the upper jaw membersand connected to the bars so as to shift the latter longitudinally inresponse to swinging movement thereof, and means for conjointly swingingthe jaws to and from one another.

5. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising in combination a horizontal supporting element having anupstanding loop for attachment to the hook of a crane or over headhoist, a pair of oppositely facing complemental jaws connected to theelement so-that they depend therefrom and are movable to and from oneanother, jaw shifting means carried by said element, and means forautomatically and substantially instantaneously looking the jaws againstmovement in one direction upon disconnection of the hook from the loop,including a movable member adjacent said loop and controlled as tomovement by the hook.

6. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising in combination a horizontal supporting element having anupstanding loop for attachment to the hook of a crane or over headhoist, a pair of oppositely facing, horizontally elongated, complementaljaws pivoted to the opposite sides of the element so that they dependtherefrom and are adapted to swing to and from one another, gearmechanism carried by said element for swinging the jaws, and means forautomatically and substan tially instantaneously locking the gearmechanism against actuation in one direction upon detachment of the hookfrom the loop, including a substantially horizontal vertically movablemember positioned adjacent the upper end of the loop and adapted to beheld in a raised position by the hook when the latter is in hookedrelation with the loop and to be released for downward movement when thehook is detached from said loop.

7. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising in combination a horizontal supporting elements having meanson the central portion thereof for attachment to a crane or hoist, apair of oppositely facing complemental jaws connected to the element sothat they depend therefrom and are movable to and from one another, gearmechanism for conjointly moving the jaws, carried by said supportingelement and including a gear segment with ratchet teeth thereon, andmeans for automatically and substantially instantaneously locking thegear mechanism against actuation in one direction upon disconnection ofthe attaching means from said crane or hoist, including a dog shiftableinto and out of interlocked relation with said ratchet teeth.

8. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets and like articles andcomprising a pair of oppositely .facing jaws mounted to move to and fromone another, one of said jaws embodying a plurality of upper members andin addition a plurality of depending lower members connected pivotallyat their upper ends to the upper members so that they may be swunglaterally relatively to the latter into different angular positions inorder to adjust the jaws for use with narrow or wide sheets, meansoperable conjointly to lock the lower members of said one jaw in theirvarious adjusted positions with respect to the upper members and alsoconjointly to release said lower members for adjustment purposes,including an elongated horizontal element extending longitudinally andsubstantially throughout the full length of said one jaw, and

be swung laterally relatively to the latter into 1 different angularpositions in order to adjust the jaws for use with narrow or widesheets, means for releasably locking the lower members of said one jawin their various adjusted positions with respect to the upper membersand including notched elements at the upper ends of the lower membersand a dog equipped bar extending longitudinally of said one-jaw andcarried by the upper members so that it is longitudinally shiitable tobring the dogs thereof into and out of interlocked relation with thenotches of said elements, and means for conjointly shifting the jaws toand from one another.

10. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets or other articles andcomprising a pair of oppositely facing jaws mounted to move to and fromone another, one of said jaws comprising a plurality of laterally spacedupper members and in addition a plurality of laterally spaced lowermembers having the upper ends thereof pivotally connected to the lowerends of the upper members so that they may be swung about said uppermembers into different angular positions with respect thereto in orderto adjust the lifter for use with narrow or wide sheets, said lowermembers having at the upper ends thereof sector shaped elements witharcuate series of teeth, means for conjointly locking the lower membersof said one jaw in their various adjusted positions, comprising anelongated horizontal element extending longitudinally of said one jawand carried by the upper members and provided with parts engageable withthe teeth of the sector shaped elements, and means for conjointlyshifting the jaws to and from one another.

11. A lifter adapted for use in handling sheets or other articles andcomprising a pair of opposed jaws mounted to move to and from oneanother, one of said jaws embodying a plurality of laterally spacedupper members and in addition a plurality of laterally spaced lowermembers having the upper ends thereof pivotally connected to the lowerends of the upper members so that they may be swung sidewise relativelyto said upper members into different angument extending longitudinallyof said one jawand carried by the upper members so that it is movable,and provided with parts adapted to engage the teeth of the sector shapedelements in response to movement of said horizontal element, and a latchcarried by one of the upper members and adapted releasably to lock saidhorizontal element against movement; and

means for conjointly shifting the jaws to and.

from one another.

ERARD J. SHAUGI-INESSY.

